Additively Manufactured Chip Cooling Structures With Lower Thermal Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems for semiconductor devices face challenges in efficiently removing heat due to high thermal resistances and limited design freedom, particularly with the use of physical heatsinks and thermal interface materials.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing techniques, such as laser powder bed fusion or fused deposition modeling, to create cooling devices with high surface areas, such as lattices and fractal-like designs, directly on electronic devices or their lids, reducing thermal resistances and enhancing heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional physical heatsinks are used for cooling semiconductor devices, then heat dissipation is achieved, but thermal resistance increases and design flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the heatsink structure directly with the semiconductor device package, eliminating separate thermal interface materials and reducing thermal resistance. The additive manufacturing process enables direct integration of cooling channels and heat dissipation structures with the device housing, creating a unified thermal management system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs porous metal structures fabricated through additive manufacturing to create high-surface-area heatsink surfaces. These porous structures increase the effective heat dissipation area while maintaining compact dimensions, thereby improving heat transfer efficiency and reducing thermal resistance without increasing overall device size.
2Temperature
If thermal interface materials and multiple layers are used in cooling systems, then heat transfer pathways are established, but overall thermal resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates thermal interface materials from the cooling system by directly integrating the heatsink structure with the semiconductor device package through additive manufacturing. This removal of intermediate layers eliminates the thermal resistance associated with TIMs while maintaining effective heat transfer pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from conventional planar heat dissipation surfaces to three-dimensional additive manufactured structures with complex internal channels and porous surfaces. This dimensional transformation creates extensive heat transfer pathways within a compact volume, improving heat transfer capability without adding thermal resistance layers.
3Productivity
If conventional manufacturing methods are used for heatsinks, then mass production is achievable, but design freedom and surface area optimization are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes additive manufacturing to enable continuous optimization of heatsink geometric parameters such as surface area, pore size, channel dimensions, and structural complexity. These parameter variations can be easily adjusted through digital modeling and printed according to specific thermal management requirements, providing unprecedented design freedom while maintaining mass production capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in more efficient cooling of electronic chips by reducing thermal resistances and allowing for innovative designs that optimize heat dissipation, particularly for hotspots, without compromising the reliability of conventionally packaged devices.
Implementation Method 1
additive manufacturing (e.g. by controlled focused energy of laser or electron beam [L-PBF, EB-PBF])
Implementation Method 2
additive manufacturing (e.g. by controlled focused energy of laser or electron beam [L-PBF, EB-PBF])
Implementation Method 3
conduction applies to solids
Implementation Method 4
convection to liquids and gases
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling device for electronics created ed by additive manufacturing directly on the surface of an electronic device, the colling device created by processes such as controlled focused energy of laser or electron beam, stereolithography, or fused deposition modeling. The cooling device is especially useful in being placed next to or packaged with high-power electronic chips requiring significant heat dissipation.